Is the Audio-Technica ATH-S220BT worth the upgrade from the Audio-Technica ATH-SR50BT?
Verdict
Meaningful upgrade
The Audio-Technica ATH-S220BT scores 9.5 points above the Audio-Technica ATH-SR50BT. That's a real improvement, though not the kind you'd notice on every track. The gains are concentrated in battery (5.2 to 9.0). You do give up ground on calls (4.2 to 3.3) and sound (7.4 to 6.8). On paper: battery life 28 h to 60 h, weight 262 g to 180 g and multipoint pairing. Worth checking: codecs goes SBC, AAC, aptX to SBC and driver size goes 45 mm to 40 mm. It's also $56 cheaper, which makes this an easy call. Worth doing if you're replacing anyway; harder to justify as a pure upgrade if what you have still works.
What actually changes
Sub-scores both products have, on the same 0-10 scale. Bars extend right for a gain, left for a loss.
- Sound7.46.8
- Battery5.29.0
- Calls4.23.3
Spec differences
Only where the two genuinely differ - everything they share is omitted.
| Spec | ATH-SR50BT | ATH-S220BT | Direction |
|---|---|---|---|
| Battery life | 28 h | 60 h | |
| Codecs | SBC, AAC, aptX | SBC | |
| Weight | 262 g | 180 g | |
| Multipoint pairing | No | Yes | |
| Full charge time | 330 min | 240 min | |
| Driver size | 45 mm | 40 mm | |
| USB-C | No | Yes | |
| Driver | 2× 45 mm dynamic | 2× 40 mm dynamic | |
| Frequency response | 5 Hz - 40 kHz | 5 Hz - 32 kHz |
About this verdict
Direction matters here: this page answers "ATH-SR50BT to ATH-S220BT". The other direction is a separate question with a different answer. Scores blend published review verdicts across over-ear and shift as new reviews land, so a marginal call today may not be one next quarter.